Nettle Tea Allergy - Head's Up
I posted this on the TTTC board because Nettle tea is a common recommendation for women TTC.
I have an allergy to Sulfites which I only came in to contact with in wine. (I know - the god's are not fair.) I found this out the hard way this fall. My face turns bright read and feels like it has a terrible sun burn. My skin itches terribly along my chin and neck.
I
have been having this reaction for the past 3 days. It gets worse and
then it gets better and I couldn't figure it out. It spread from the
areas the sulfites bothered! I felt like scratching off my chest and my
entire face. I have tried Benadryl twice which helps me sleep and when
I sleep I don't itch. It also seemed that my skin was a little bumpy to
the touch and normally I have very smooth skin.
I listed everything I had had to eat or drink and couldn't
figure it out. No sulfites anywhere. Finally, this morning, it occurred
to me that perhaps the one of the tea's that had been recommended was
actually processed with sulfites. I pulled the tea out of the cabinet
and read the nettle tea box. All organic ingredients and no sulfites to
be found. As I was putting it down I noticed a tiny little area that
said, in some cases, people may be "overly sensitive" to the nettle
which can cause itchiness. It wasn't sulfites it was the nettle!
Ugh! I wish I had figured this out two days ago. I feel like I landed face first in a nettle patch and I hate nettle.
I thought I would post this in case anyone else gets the same reaction. Perhaps you will figure out the connection faster than me!
